The family of Sonya Massey is questioning how the officer accused of her death could have been hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. He had served in six agencies over a four-year period, had admitted to driving under the influence and was the subject of two previous complaints.
“I feel like he should never have been hired,” Massey’s niece, Shadia Massey, said in an interview with NBC News on Friday. “How did he even get to this point?”
Massy’s uncle, Raymond Massey, said: “There were so many warning signs.”
Former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He pleaded not guilty last week and was ordered held without bail.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday that the deputy sheriff’s application has been reviewed and certified by the state’s Merit Commission.
“He was also interviewed by more than one person,” Sheriff Jack Campbell said. “The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) reviewed the information, including his DUI convictions. ILETSB certified Grayson for employment and indicated that he had been certified multiple times in the past, despite his DUI history. Grayson passed a drug test, a background check, a psychological evaluation, and graduated from a 16-week training academy prior to his assignment as a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy.”
Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He pleaded not guilty last week and was ordered held without bail.
Grayson has worked at six agencies since 2020, including short stints as a part-time officer at three small Illinois police departments and full-time positions at two sheriff’s offices and one police department.
Documents from four of his previous employers show no evidence of any complaints or disciplinary action against Grayson.
However, he was disciplined during his time with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office after hitting a deer with his patrol car during a chase that violated department policy, according to department documents. (NBC News requested documents from all six departments but received them from only five.)
Logan County Sheriff’s Office personnel records also show that two people have filed complaints against Grayson. A woman accused him of “inappropriate” behavior during her arrest, while her fiancé, an inmate at the county jail, accused Grayson of “abusing his power” and intimidation when Grayson questioned the man in jail.
Grayson denied any wrongdoing in both complaints, which are marked “unfounded” in his file.
The documents show he left the Logan County sheriff’s office in “good condition.”
Before working in Logan County, Grayson held concurrent part-time jobs with police departments in Kincaid and Pawnee. Kincaid Police Chief DJ Mathon said he was fired by the Village of Kincaid Board in May 2021 when he refused to live within a 10-mile radius of the village.
He was hired by a department in Virden shortly after leaving Kincaid and while he was still working in Pawnee, documents show. Grayson worked in Virden for several months and left for unknown reasons. A department official said Grayson “simply stopped covering shifts.”
His separation date from the Virden Police Department was December 2021, a few months after he began working for a department in Auburn. On his application for Auburn, Grayson said he was leaving Virden to become a full-time officer.
He left Auburn in May 2022 and worked in Logan County for just under a year before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, records show. Grayson was fired from Sangamon County on July 17, nearly two weeks after he fatally shot Massey in her Springfield home while responding to her 911 call about a possible burglar.
Shadia Massey said there should be stricter background checks for officers.
“I think the department should have different policies and protocols,” Raymond Massey added. “I mean, he wouldn’t have been hired. I mean, I think everyone would agree with that.”
Documents also show that Grayson was a wheeled vehicle mechanic in the Army and was discharged for alleged “misconduct (serious offense).” It is unclear what led to his discharge.
Grayson also had some run-ins with the law. According to court records, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor DUIs, in 2015 and 2016.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, said at a news conference Friday that questions about Grayson’s past and how he got the job “are only going to get louder.”
“With the two DUIs, with the reprimand from the military for serious misconduct, with the six different law enforcement agencies in four years … were there any red flags missed? And should he have been hired by the sheriff’s department in the first place?” Crump said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
